Herbert Siegel

Siegel total compensation at Chris-Craft in 2000 was 4.97M (salary 1.096M plus bonus 2.777M plus other 1.092M). Annual deferred compensation 634K. Annual pension 1.122M. Employment contract: 1.5 pct of pre-tax income over 36M. Split-dollar life insurance 15M face per son. Consulting fee 500K annually for 5 years post-employment.

Herbert J. Siegel controlled 60.8% of Chris-Craft .40 Convertible Preferred Stock (142,569 shares), 43.2% of Class B Common Stock (4,872,845 shares, 10 votes each), and 21.0% of Common Stock (6,886,706 shares) as of Feb 2000. Class B super-voting shares gave Siegel effective voting control. Combined with sons John C. and William D., family held 71% of Class B stock. Chris-Craft sold to News Corp in 2001 for ~$5.3B in cash and stock.

Herbert J. Siegel controlled Chris-Craft via super-voting stock: 60.8% of Convertible Preferred (142,569 shares), 43.2% of Class B Common (4,872,845 shares at 10 votes each), 21% of Common (6,886,706 shares) as of Feb 2000. Family held 71% of Class B. News Corp acquired Chris-Craft for 5.3B in 2001.

Zero results across DS10 Deutsche Bank transactions and FAA aircraft registry for Siegel or Chris-Craft. Zero results in OpenSanctions GLEIF and ICIJ databases (ICIJ not available due to neo4j). Zero Siegel entities in FL NY NM or PA corporate registries in registry.db. Chris-Craft was Delaware-incorporated and not in state registries we have ingested. No direct financial link to Epstein entities found in available databases.

FL SunBiz re-verified Feb 15 2026 after entity-name search fix (corprindata→cordata). Generic name matches found but none connected to Epstein network (no known associates as officers, no known addresses). Original conclusion unchanged.

Siegel's compensation at Chris-Craft for 2000: salary $1,096,234 + bonus $2,777,385 + other compensation $1,091,783 = $4.97M total. He also received annual deferred compensation of $634,662 plus an annual pension of $1,122,327. His employment agreement entitled him to 1.5% of Chris-Craft pre-tax income exceeding $36M. Split-dollar life insurance policies of $15M face value per son (John and William) paid by Chris-Craft/BHC. These compensation structures would have been a major component of Epstein's early wealth management relationship.

Bill Siegel Jan 2017 email to Epstein confirms Herbert J. Siegel maintained awareness of son's Epstein friendship. Quote: Just saw my father who sends his best. Hes getting up there. This is significant because Herbert was 88 years old and the Epstein relationship was multi-generational from Bear Stearns era 1980s through at minimum Jan 2017. Herbert Siegel was one of Epsteins original billionaire clients.

LittleSis entity 101661 confirms Herbert J. Siegel biography: maverick investor billionaire. Sold 10 TV stations to Murdoch News Corp for 5.3B in 2000. Government filings estimated over 1B for Siegel personally though family says he netted around half that. Married Ann Levy (father Isaac D. Levy was CBS organizer) died 2005. Married Jeanne Sorenson 2007. Died Aug 12 2023 age 95 at Manhattan home. Attended Blair Academy and Lehigh University 1950.

The Yablon fact-checking email establishes Epstein left Bear Stearns in 1982 (not 1981 as commonly reported) and took clients Marvin Davis and Herb Siegel with him. This is significant because it was posed as a factual assertion for confirmation, not speculation. The question implies Yablon had a source (likely Michael Wolff, who was writing the profile based on extensive access) confirming these as the specific named clients. Combined with other questions about Ace Greenberg recruiting Epstein in the late 70s and Jimmy Cayne friendship, this email reconstructs the Bear Stearns timeline: late 1970s entry via Greenberg, friendship with Cayne, departure 1982 with Davis and Siegel as clients.

SYNTHESIS: Herbert J. Siegel (1928-2023) confirmed as original Bear Stearns-era Epstein client (with Marvin Davis), departing BS 1982. KEY: FedEx records prove NYSG LLC (Epstein entity, 457 Madison) sent packages to Chris-Craft (Boca Raton) May-Aug 2001 during 5.3B News Corp merger. Sender: Jeffrey Schantz (Epstein co-trustee). Both NYSG and Chris-Craft at 457 Madison. Siegel controlled 78pct voting power, 700M-900M equity. No direct Herbert emails in corpus (pre-email era). Son Bill bridged 2010-2017. Palm Beach proximity. Allen and Co advised Chris-Craft -- Epstein told Mandelson I know them well. Likely 20plus year wealth management relationship.

NEGATIVE RESULT: Exhaustive search across all 7 local document databases (DOJ Vol 11, DugganUSA, LMSBAND, Unified DB, Epstein 20K, Investigations DB, EpsteinExposed) found ZERO direct communications from or to Herbert Siegel himself. No emails, no phone messages via Lesley Groff, no calendar entries. Herbert Siegel appears only in: (1) property tax records as Palm Beach resident, (2) Alex Yablon fact-checking questions about Bear Stearns history, (3) entity database at hop_distance=1. The absence of direct Herbert Siegel communications in 700K+ documents suggests the father-Epstein financial relationship predated the email corpus (which begins circa 2005-2009) and may have been conducted entirely through intermediaries or in-person meetings.

ACRIS property record: Herbert Siegel and Beverly H Siegel acquired Queens property Block 7663 Lot 68 via deed from Samuel Koenig and Frances Lerner on 1967-07-25. Document BK_6740047200359. Property type PA (partial lot). Beverly H. Siegel was first wife (married Ann Levy, father Isaac D. Levy was CBS organizer). This is likely an early family property before billionaire status.

USVI entity: SIEGEL CAPITAL VI LLC (581992) registered 12/28/2011 as Domestic LLC. Administratively Dissolved. Resident Agent: Marjorie Rawls Roberts PC (a major USVI corporate services firm). The VI suffix suggests Virgin Islands-specific entity. Requires further investigation to determine if connected to Herbert J. Siegel family or another Siegel.

Chris-Craft Industries CIK 20067 was Delaware TV corp at 767 Fifth Ave NYC. Owned BHC Communications CIK 855433. 127 insider filings on record at SEC.

Chris-Craft board of directors as of 2000 included notable figures: John C. Bogle (Senior Chairman and Founder of The Vanguard Group), Jeane J. Kirkpatrick (former UN Ambassador, Georgetown professor), David F. Linowes (served since 1958), T. Chandler Hardwick III (Blair Academy headmaster where Siegel attended), Norman Perlmutter (Perlmutter Investment Co). Sons John C. Siegel (EVP, BHC director, UTV Chairman) and William D. Siegel (EVP, BHC President) were also directors.

Palm Beach County property records show Herbert J. and Phyllis M. Siegel owned 6 Windsor Ct Palm Beach FL 33480 valued at 3.168M 2001 build. Geographic proximity to Epstein El Brillo Way corroborates Bear Stearns-era client relationship.

Alex Yablon fact-checking email for New York Magazine (March 31 2015) explicitly asks Epstein: Did you leave Bear Stearns in 1982? Why? Did you take clients including Marvin Davis and Herb Siegel? This is a primary source confirming Herb Siegel as a named Bear Stearns-era client. Email sent to jeevacation@gmail.com, then forwarded by Epstein to both Darren Indyke and Michael Wolff, indicating Epstein wanted legal counsel and PR handler to review the questions.

The Yablon/NY Mag fact-checking email (Mar 31 2015) exists in 5 document versions across EFTA corpus: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025875 (original to Epstein), 026348 (Epstein fwd to Indyke), 026351 (Epstein fwd to Wolff), 026349 and 026352 (OCR image versions). Epstein forwarded to Indyke at 3:26 PM and Wolff at 3:32 PM, just 6 and 12 minutes after receiving at 3:23 PM. The email also reveals Yablon had detailed intelligence about Epstein including specific details about UN Week meetings with Gates, Zuckerman, Thiel, Qatari Sheikh HBJ, and Ehud Barak.

Herbert Jay Siegel (May 7, 1928 - Aug 5, 2023) was chairman/CEO of Chris-Craft Industries from 1968 until the News Corp sale. Born Philadelphia, son of Jacob Siegel (Romanian Jewish immigrant, overcoat manufacturer). Blair Academy, Lehigh University 1950 (journalism). US Army Reserves 1951-54. First wife Ann Levy (married 1950, died 2005), father-in-law Isaac D. Levy was CBS organizer. Frank Sinatra sang at wedding. Sons: John and William. Second wife Jeanne Sorenson (2007), Tony Bennett performed. Net worth ~$1.1B (Forbes). Died at home Manhattan, heart failure, age 95.

EpsteinExposed documents d-27403 and d-30494 reference Epstein leaving Bear Stearns in 1982 with billionaire clients Marvin Davis and Herb Seigel. The consistent pairing of Davis and Siegel as original Epstein clients post-Bear Stearns appears in 6+ separate document copies across DOJ and House Oversight releases. However, no direct emails from or to Herbert Siegel appear anywhere in the DOJ EFTA corpus (datasets 10+11), the LMSBAND database, or the DugganUSA index. This suggests the Epstein-Herbert Siegel relationship predated the email era and may have been mediated through son Bill or institutional channels. Zero Deutsche Bank transactions, zero FAA records, zero UCC filings, zero sanctions/PEP hits for Herbert Siegel.

Warner Communications Inc v Chris-Craft Industries Inc (Del. Ch. 1989, 583 A.2d 962) concerned Chris-Craft/BHC's Series B Preferred stock rights in the Time-Warner merger. Chris-Craft had acquired Warner stake through BHC and fought for class vote on proposed merger. Case went to Delaware Chancery Court before Chancellor Allen. This was the climactic battle in the Warner-Time merger that Siegel both enabled and profited from (collecting over 800M).

Massive Republican political donor. FEC records and LittleSis data show hundreds of thousands in donations to Republican causes. Largest single recipients: American Crossroads $255K (2010-12), NRSC $99K (1996-2012), FreedomWorks for America $75K (2011-12), RNC $69K (1994-2012), Restore Our Future PAC $50K (2012), Giuliani Victory Committee $20K (2000), Treasure Coast Jobs Coalition $62.5K (2012), Mitt Romney $41K (2011-12), John McCain $42K (2003-08). Also donated to some Democrats early career: Barbara Boxer, Joseph Kennedy II, Sam Nunn, Bob Kerrey, Voters for Choice. Employer consistently listed as Chris-Craft Industries. National PAC Inc (pro-Israel) $30K.

BHC Communications Inc (CIK 0000855433, SIC 4833 Television Broadcasting) lobbied through Washington Counsel and Ernst and Young/Washington Council EY from 1999-2004 on tax and trade/finance issues. 18 LDA filings total. This coincides with the News Corp merger period and indicates active regulatory engagement during the transaction. Chris-Craft Industries itself (CIK 0000020067) had 305 SEC filings total including 119 Form 4s (insider transactions).

Career trajectory: 1962 bought General Artists Corporation (talent agency: Jackie Gleason, Jerry Vale, Pat Boone, Perry Como). 1965 partnered with Ernest H. Martin, acquired 9% Paramount stake, sold to Gulf+Western for $2.6M profit. 1968 acquired control of Chris-Craft Industries (became youngest chairman on AMEX at age 28). 1978-80 accumulated 20th Century Fox stake, sold for $74M. 1981 sold Chris-Craft boat division, pivoting fully to media. Early 1980s white knight for Steve Ross at Warner Communications, buying 21% stake to block Murdoch. 1989 Time-Warner merger netted ~$1B for Chris-Craft. 1995 co-founded UPN with Viacom (lost $800M+ by 2000). 2000 sold 10 TV stations to News Corp for $5.3B in cash and stock. Government filings estimated Siegel personally netted over $1B, family says ~half that.

Philanthropy: Board of Trustees, Research to Prevent Blindness (2000-2011). Herbert J and Phyllis M Siegel Charitable Foundation (EIN 26-1943873, Baltimore MD) is extremely small: $150K assets, $715 revenue (2015 990-EZ). This foundation predates second wife Jeanne, tied to first wife Phyllis (likely Phyllis M. referenced in Palm Beach property records). Charity Navigator profile exists. RPB memorial noted his board positions in education, science and medicine. No evidence of large-scale philanthropy comparable to his billionaire peers.

In Re BHC Communications Inc Shareholder Litigation (Del. Ch. 2001, 789 A.2d 1) named Herbert J. Siegel, John C. Siegel, and William D. Siegel as defendants. Minority shareholders alleged Chris-Craft used dominant position to allocate disproportionate consideration from News Corp 5.3B acquisition. Chris-Craft hired Allen and Company as financial advisor (Sept 1999). Three separate merger agreements signed Aug 13, 2000; approved by shareholders Apr 24, 2001. Court conditionally denied motion to dismiss. Skadden Arps represented Siegel defendants.

FedEx records show NYSG LLC (Epstein entity, 457 Madison Ave NYC) sent packages to Chris-Craft Industries Inc (Vicki Sweigart, Boca Raton FL) in Apr-May and Aug 2001. Sender Jeffrey Schantz was Epstein co-trustee. Proves direct operational document flow between Epstein entities and Chris-Craft during the News Corp merger period.

Multi-generational Siegel-Epstein pipeline. Son Bill was BHC Communications president, Chris-Craft EVP. Bill had direct Epstein relationship 2010-2017 and brokered meetings with Giuliani, Sitchin, Lurie-Alt. Met at Apple Store 767 Fifth Ave. Represents a client relationship spanning Bear Stearns era through late 2010s.

Palm Beach real estate footprint documented in Epstein investigation files (House Oversight). SIEGEL HERBERT J & PHYLLIS M SIEGEL owned property at 6 Windsor Court, Palm Beach (parcel 50-43-43-10-32-000-0030), 0.38 acres, single family built 2001, assessed $3.17M. HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_016600 also lists HERBERT J SIEGEL in Palm Beach taxpayer/membership rolls alongside other notable names (Trump, Peltz, Subotnick). In 2015, Siegel and second wife Jeanne paid ~$30M for 200 Via Palma (12,770 sq ft, 7BR/9.5BA lakefront). After his death, the Via Palma property sold for $51.6M (2024). Previously owned duplex at 998 Fifth Avenue NYC, purchased Dec 2012 for $18.5M, sold June 2014 for $16.5M (at a loss).

New York Magazine fact-checker Alex Yablon (March 31, 2015) asked Epstein: 'Did you leave Bear Stearns in 1982? Why? Did you take clients including Marvin Davis and Herb Siegel?' This question was part of fact-checking for a Michael Wolff profile. Epstein forwarded the entire questionnaire to Wolff (jeevacation@gmail.com to Wolff). The question treats the Davis/Siegel client relationship as established reportorial fact requiring only confirmation, not discovery. Multiple copies exist across DOJ releases and House Oversight documents.

LittleSis entity 101661 shows Herbert J. Siegel was prolific Republican political donor. 50 relationships documented including donations to: Allen West, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, John Boehner, American Crossroads, RNC, NRSC, NRCC, and multiple conservative PACs. Education: Blair Academy and Lehigh University (1950). First wife Ann Levy (d. 2005) was daughter of Isaac D. Levy, CBS co-organizer.

NEGATIVE RESULT: No direct Herbert J. Siegel correspondence found in any of the 7 local Epstein document databases (DOJ Vol 11, DugganUSA 56 false positive hits for Herbert, LMSBAND 0, Unified DB 0 for Herbert J Siegel specifically, Epstein 20K 0, Investigations DB 0, EpsteinExposed 0). All DugganUSA hits were for other people named Herbert (Rose, Allen, von Karajan, etc). No Herbert Siegel emails to or from Epstein. The relationship was mediated entirely through son Bill Siegel and the Bear Stearns-era client-advisor bond.